The field of the invention is electrical switches and the invention relates more particularly to switches of the type referred to as joysticks which are commonly used in conjunction with computer programs and games.
A joystick switch typically gets a relatively rigorous use when used with a computer game. The typical joystick provides for switches in four directions such as north, south, east and west. Also, the joystick typically has a firing switch which is often positioned at the top or the front of the joystick and which is operated by the user's thumb or finger. Thus, typically, the switch has four individual direction switches of which, typically, only one switch is closed at any one time, plus a firing switch which may be closed at any time in addition to any of the other four switches. For some games, more than four switches may be used.
Joystick switches are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,439,649 and 4,382,166. Such switches typically are held in a housing and the firing button may either be in the housing or, preferably, in the joystick handle itself. Such switches have a relatively large number of parts and have limited life because of the wear provided in manipulation of the switch. Another joystick switch construction is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,548 which has a centrally located firing pin and a plurality of contact switches manipulated by the direction of movement of the joystick handle. A hand controller having a plurality of switches mounted on a curved surface is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,908. The switch requires the continued resilience of a flat spring plate and has a relatively large number of parts and is, thus, relatively expensive. A plurality of switches is shown in the device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,315 which utilizes a pair of blocks with a plurality of indentations which contain the switch buttons. Once again, a large number of parts results in a switch of limited life and relatively high cost.